Interpretation of the Music of the 17th and 18th Centuries: Revealed by Contemporary EvidenceOne of the most influential figures in the twentieth-century revival of early music, Arnold Dolmetsch (1858–1940) was the first to apply academic attention to the issue of authentic historical performance. His groundbreaking study, The Interpretation of the Music of the 17th and 18th Centuries, first appeared in 1915 and remains a landmark of musicology. An outstanding musician, teacher, and maker of Baroque-style instruments, Dolmetsch sought the correct interpretation of Baroque music in order to heighten its expressive intent and emotional impact. In this study, he quotes extensively from both familiar and lesser-known treatises of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, adding enlightening comments to each quotation and providing illuminating conclusions. Topics include tempo, rhythm, ornamentation, figured bass realization, wrist positioning, and fingering, and musical instruments of the period. A rare appendix of musical examples, originally published separately, appears in this new edition of the first book to address in a comprehensive and scholarly manner the problems of performing Baroque music. More than a text on performance practices, this classic offers glimpses of what Baroque music meant—both as an art and a science—to musicians of the era. |
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The Interpretation of the Music of the XVII and XVIII Centuries Revealed by ... Arnold Dolmetsch No preview available - 2006 |
Common terms and phrases
18th century accented Adagio Allegro appoggiatura arpeggio auxiliary note Bach's beat Bebung Cadence chords clavichord composers coulée crotchet D'Anglebert Diruta Division dotted notes effect English execution explanations expression figured bass finger flute following examples following note François Couperin French give given harmony harpsichord indicated instruments Italian J. S. Bach keyboard kind Klavier Left hand long note lute main note Marin Marais Marpurg melody Menuet modern mordent movement Muffat musicians notation octave old music ornaments passages performance phrase pianoforte Pièces de Clavecin Pincé played players Playford's Port de voix Prelude principal note pulse Quantz quavers quick Rameau Right hand rule Sarabande says semiquavers shake short notes slide slow slurred small notes Sonata sound strings tablature Table of Graces Tempo Rubato termination third Thomas Mace tone tr tr treble Tremblement trill tuned turn Versuch viol viola da gamba violin whilst written